Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[nonpop]

QF 443 07MAY12 SYDNEY/MELBOURNE B767
Worked as it should.

Though with the PB concept in general, I am still surprised they just attempt to break everyone up into 2 lanes and then serve both lanes at once. In many respects this actually defeats the PB concept. In theory I would have thought that the PB line is cleared first by both gate agents (holding the general line until PB is cleared).

As it stands today ... one agent seems to do PB and the other non-PB. May be I have misunderstood the PB concept.

 

[pshepvic]

QF 443 07MAY12 SYDNEY/MELBOURNE B767
Worked as it should.

Though with the PB concept in general, I am still surprised they just attempt to break everyone up into 2 lanes and then serve both lanes at once. In many respects this actually defeats the PB concept. In theory I would have thought that the PB line is cleared first by both gate agents (holding the general line until PB is cleared).

As it stands today ... one agent seems to do PB and the other non-PB. May be I have misunderstood the PB concept.

No I think you are right. Virgin manage to board everything with one agent and they simply clear the PB line first then help the other line. Anyone new turns up in PB, they serve them then go back to the regular queue.


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[pshepvic]

Yeah, indeed. Exactly, what I try to do is at least be constructive. I really think it is only the early morning flights that are the problem. And it isn't even lack of PB that annoys me the most, it is the total mess they make of boarding in general. But, as a non South Australian, I find the locals can have strange ideas about some things, witness banning plastic shopping bags for free but not for sale. I wouldn't be surprised if someone in charge in ADL is offended by the whole special treatment idea.

I grew up in Adelaide ... and thankfully got out. The place is backwards, they can't deal with any sort of change, and can't ever implement anything properly ... who in their right mind builds a one way freeway for a start??? You'd never get me to move back there...even 2 days for a weekend is enough to drive me mad.

Edit: Actually a one way freeway would make sense if it was always going away from Adelaide - I guess that's the direction most people are going to be going!

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[medhead]

QF 443 07MAY12 SYDNEY/MELBOURNE B767
Worked as it should.

Though with the PB concept in general, I am still surprised they just attempt to break everyone up into 2 lanes and then serve both lanes at once. In many respects this actually defeats the PB concept. In theory I would have thought that the PB line is cleared first by both gate agents (holding the general line until PB is cleared).

As it stands today ... one agent seems to do PB and the other non-PB. May be I have misunderstood the PB concept.

No I think you are right. Virgin manage to board everything with one agent and they simply clear the PB line first then help the other line. Anyone new turns up in PB, they serve them then go back to the regular queue.

Probably obvious, but IMO Qantas has missed the concept of PB, especially after my experience with a 734 last week. :evil: It was all I could do to not call the ground staff stupid or something like that.... Well actually, I was nowhere near calling anyone anything, decided to get even instead and waited until the last couple of minutes to board. Ground staff even asked my name so he didn't page me.

I grew up in Adelaide ... and thankfully got out. The place is backwards, they can't deal with any sort of change, and can't ever implement anything properly ... who in their right mind builds a one way freeway for a start??? You'd never get me to move back there...even 2 days for a weekend is enough to drive me mad.

One thing I love about working in SYD is most of my driving happens at 4:30am when no one else is on the road. At least I'm not being driven mad...

 

[wafliron]

One thing I love about working in SYD is most of my driving happens at 4:30am when no one else is on the road. At least I'm not being driven mad...

That's to reach the office by 9am, right?

 

[Danger]

I think we need to be careful with saying that QF priority boarding works. Having a dedicated WP/J/OWE lane is only one part of priority boarding, as far as I'm concerned. Almost as important is appropriate use of that lane. Many times I've lined up behind someone in the PB lane only to learn from their boarding pass that they're not entitled to use it. Similarly, as I've mentioned previously, I often fly under my AA Platinum/oneworld Sapphire. Not once have I been challenged or reminded or re-directed. Nothing. Not once. To me, it's pretty clear the gate agents couldn't really care less which line you're in. This is not priority boarding workig correctly.

If passengers already think they can away with it using the priority boarding lane when they don't have an entitlement to it, the problem will become greater. Qantas will then find themselves in a situation a bit like carry-on luggage now, whereby people expect to get away with it.

Leave the gate ajar just a little and eventually the momentum from the flock will make it impossible to close. Close the gate now and not have the issue later on.

 

[medhead]

That's to reach the office by 9am, right?

Indeed. But the travel time does average well over the week with only a 5 minute walk each way in SYD


Sent from the Throne

 

[TonyHancock]

I think we need to be careful with saying that QF priority boarding works. Having a dedicated WP/J/OWE lane is only one part of priority boarding, as far as I'm concerned. Almost as important is appropriate use of that lane. Many times I've lined up behind someone in the PB lane only to learn from their boarding pass that they're not entitled to use it. Similarly, as I've mentioned previously, I often fly under my AA Platinum/oneworld Sapphire. Not once have I been challenged or reminded or re-directed. Nothing. Not once. To me, it's pretty clear the gate agents couldn't really care less which line you're in. This is not priority boarding workig correctly.

If passengers already think they can away with it using the priority boarding lane when they don't have an entitlement to it, the problem will become greater. Qantas will then find themselves in a situation a bit like carry-on luggage now, whereby people expect to get away with it.

Leave the gate ajar just a little and eventually the momentum from the flock will make it impossible to close. Close the gate now and not have the issue later on.

I don't believe it works. Actually it works occasionally, as long as it is not a 734, as long as you don't fly at the weekend, as long as you fly from certain ports, and as long as the gate crew know that priority boarding is something they are supposed to be delivering.

Agreed on the Sapphire point. As long as QF don't enforce their own rules PB will not work properly.

In less than two weeks I have another QF400 and this time it is a 738. In theory I should be able to wander to the gate when the announcement is made in the J lounge. In practice I know I'll have to be at the gate 10 mins before scheduled boarding because I have no confidence in the gate crew implementing PB correctly.

I genuinely pity the frequent domestic flyers. I couldn't hack it.

 

[Scrimo]

I genuinely pity the frequent domestic flyers. I couldn't hack it.[/QUOTE]

Could not agree more... While I hate flying with AA in the USA at least the PB system works even so you still have to line up 10 min before just so you can find overhead bin space in First Class.

QF must teach gate handlers how to refuse a passenger that has tried to get through the PB line and send them back!

 

[Scrimo]

Forgot mention that they need to address this issue on the A380 when there is only two air bridges. Travelling in First and waiting on the air bridge for 10 min with Y passengers. Takes too long!

 

[docjames]

No I think you are right. Virgin manage to board everything with one agent and they simply clear the PB line first then help the other line. Anyone new turns up in PB, they serve them then go back to the regular queue.


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Though with the PB concept in general, I am still surprised they just attempt to break everyone up into 2 lanes and then serve both lanes at once. In many respects this actually defeats the PB concept. In theory I would have thought that the PB line is cleared first by both gate agents (holding the general line until PB is cleared).

As it stands today ... one agent seems to do PB and the other non-PB. May be I have misunderstood the PB concept.

QF would never admit that the DJ/VA system works and copy that - they have to be different. In this case, different and inferior.

 

[Kangol]

The culture needs to change and be enforced from all levels of QF, this is the only way QF can be true to their word and passengers will understand who is entitled to PB and who isn't.
Passengers who aren't eligible should be turned away so a precedent is set. This is probably the most important part of the process.
People in the US flying AA understand this, when you see people who aren't in any of the priority groups waiting their turn. How hard is it to understand?
Red Roo needs to take a good look at all the posts in this thread and make sure they are being acted upon.

I guess there's also a responsibility for us who see it not being enforced to report it to QF every time it happens and take photos or document the failure in process.
If they aren't aware of the problem, they won't be able to do anything about it.

 

[samh004]

I'm not the sort of person that regularly uses PB as I feel really awkward using it. However will share an experience from the gate last week. It was a flight BNE to TSV though I can't recall if it was the morning or evening flight I took. I forget.

Got to the gate and the whole line was snaked down the tight hand side, past the PB sign, with the left hand side clear. Didn't get there early enough to hear the call but it couldn't have been hard to sort the line out.




 

[Moopere]

I guess there's also a responsibility for us who see it not being enforced to report it to QF every time it happens and take photos or document the failure in process.
If they aren't aware of the problem, they won't be able to do anything about it.

It certainly can't hurt to name and shame, both by posting flight numbers here and also sending email direct to Red Roo and QF. Probably worth noting in the email that copies have been sent ... in case there is a blockage somewhere.

Honestly though, properly running businesses have internal audits and they fix problems - this is particularly so when 'new' process is rolled out. It begs the question, really truly and honestly, how the QF business is actually being run behind closed doors if they can't get their collective heads, experience and embedded multitudinous layers of management around a problem as mind numbingly simple as this one.

 

[MatF]

Total clusterf#ck on QF510 SYD-BNE on Monday.

The priority lane was on the left at Gate 5, the same side as the gate lounge - this is just asking for trouble. By the time the flight was called, the scrum had already formed - in front of the gate lounge and into the priority lane. There were more people boarding through the priority lane than the general boarding lane. I should have swapped lanes ...

I followed a gent in the priority lane who's boarding pass I was able to sneek a peek at - he was a PS in row 53. Not a word when his boarding pass was scanned. It's totally pointless exercise if there's no enforcement IMHO.

How long has it been in place now??

 

[Canny man]

If QF can afford bag naz_s walking up the queue to check for oversize, they can afford queue checkers 'sorry sir you're in the wrong queue, you'll have to join the end of that one'

 

[simongr]

Worked very well this morning on the 7AM flight to MEL. Long queue for regular pax and well maintained in special queue. No beep at the gate though

 

[beardoc]

No I think you are right. Virgin manage to board everything with one agent and they simply clear the PB line first then help the other line. Anyone new turns up in PB, they serve them then go back to the regular queue.


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This is exactly what AA does as well.

 

[simongr]

I don't think the problem is the processing it is the policing.

 

[TonyHancock]

Predictably, the change to a 734 meant, no priority boarding on QF400 this morning. Managed to get to the gate early enough to avoid the long queues. (Two queues had formed.)


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